Tennis royalty teams with pickleball GOAT

The adidas Metalbone comes back to life. Third-shot slice drops, perfected.

April 23, 2025

We’re still in shock this morning—word is we’re soon to be reunited with tennis royalty…on the pickleball court.

And that’s not the only reunion making waves. adidas just relaunched its Metalbone paddle line, bringing back one of the most iconic designs in the game with a fresh, performance-first upgrade.

We break down the look, the features, and why this paddle is already shaking up the scene.

In This Issue:

  • Meet the all-new adidas Metalbone

  • Anna Leigh gets an unexpected doubles partner

  • Top storylines heading into MLP Orlando

Ready for more?

Our Picks ☝️

🔄 Switcheroo: MLP Teams Swap Names

The MLP team that played 2024 as the D.C. Pickleball Team is now the Brooklyn Pickleball Team. Last year’s Brooklyn Aces are now the D.C. Pickleball Team. Any questions?

🏎️ Vroom: Pro Pickle’s Revving Sponsor Model

Sponsor dollars for the PPA Tour and MLP are roaring: $16M in 2023; $25M in 2024; and a projected $35M this year. Could pro pickle attract premier brands and become the Formula 1 of paddle sports? One UPA-A big-shot thinks so.

👎 Bunk: Questionable Study Disses Pickleball

Citing a rise in bone fractures from pickleball and observed health benefits of Swedish golfers in 2008, disparate findings in a new “study” conclude golf is the “gentler” sport for those aged 65+. Thanks, but we’d rather just take a nap.

🎥 ClipTHAT: New Series Highlights Rec Play Heroes

The Dink (hey, that’s us) has teamed up with PodPlay to launch ClipTHAT, a new social content series highlighting viral pickleball moments from everyday players (hey, that’s you) around the country. Check it out.

Master Class: The 3rd-Shot Slice Drop with Mari Humberg

Ask three people for advice on the best third shot option in pickleball and you’re bound to get three different answers.

Here’s a truth-bomb from Mari Humberg to try on for size: The best third shot is the one you can consistently get over the net.

And she should know; she’s got arguably the best slice in the pro game—forehand or backhand, men’s players or women’s.

Here’s how to mimic Mari’s third-shot slice drop and turn it into one of your most reliable weapons.

✅ Grip Check — Hold your paddle in a continental grip, like you’re shaking hands with the grip while the face is perpendicular to the ground. This one grip lets you slice using the forehand or backhand.

✅ Lock Your Wrist — Think of this as a chop motion with your arm rather than a cupping motion with your hand. Keep your paddle tip pointed up and at a diagonal, lock your wrist, and cut fluidly down through the ball.

✅ Move Through the Ball — Use your legs to move toward the ball. At the point of contact, get low and load your weight through your front foot. This helps leverage your momentum to carry you through the shot and toward your final destination: the Kitchen line.

✅ Finish in a Split — After contact, let your momentum take you one or two more steps, then stop with a split step. This centers you toward the next shot, puts you up on your toes, and gets the paddle in front of your body in a ready position.

✅ Now Rinse and Repeat — By her own admission, Mari is so good at this shot because she uses it time and time again. You may hit the same slice drop several times before establishing position at the kitchen line. And guess what? That’s totally fine.

🎯 Parting Shot: The mechanics of this shot are relatively easy to learn; it’s in repetition through drilling and game-play that you’ll make it your own. Start using it in your next rec game and watch your opponents try—and fail—to counter-attack.

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Under the Hood: What Sets the adidas Metalbone Apart

When the original Metalbone hit the market in late 2023, it made some noise — but didn’t quite spark the revolution adidas had hoped for.

Now, it’s back, with a full design overhaul, a new team behind the build, and a renewed push into the heart of the pickleball scene.

It’s a big launch from an even bigger brand. Here are a few of the features we’re feeling:

  • Edgeless, yet Protected: A perimeter protector shields your paddle from accidental bumps and scrapes without impacting the feel of the sweet spot.

  • Next-Level Durability: Perimeter carbon reinforcements integrated from the bottom of the handle to the sides of the paddle create torsional rigidity and durability, providing a solid and stable surface.

  • Look Good, Play Good: The eye-catching polyhedral design between the handle and the surface of the paddle provides greater rigidity and power in the shots. It also feels incredible for anyone who prefers a two-handed backhand.

  • Choose Your Weapon. Two core options – EVA or honeycomb – let you index on your preferred play-style: control and finesse, or aggressive power.

  • Not Just a Pretty Face: The cutting-edge, carbon weave face texture is designed to maximize spin generation for the long-haul.

Select models also come equipped with adidas’ proprietary weight and balance system — a series of screws weighing 2.6 grams each that allow you to seamlessly modify the weight and balance of the paddle according to your needs.

Depending on the paddle, there are multiple screw locations near the throat, on the bottom two corners, and centered at the top. Keep them all in place to maximize weight and balance, or take them all out for a lighter, snappier output.

The countless combinations in between provide options to fine-tune your performance depending on your mood—or as your skills and play style evolve over time.

Dream Team: Anna Leigh Waters x Andre Agassi at the US Open

The former world No. 1 in tennis announced he will make his professional pickleball debut at the Minto US Open Pickleball Championships in Naples, Florida, in grand fashion — alongside the No. 1 female in the sport.

“She’s probably sick of winning so much, and that’s why she called me and asked me to play,” Agassi joked to CNBC.

Anna Leigh will hit the women’s doubles court once again with her mom and coach, Leigh, to defend their 2024 US Open title.

CBS Sports Network will air Andre and ALW’s first match together on Wednesday, April 30, at noon EDT.

Forgot Earth Day? This Counts Too.

If April 22nd came and went without you planting a tree or hugging a compost bin, you’re not alone. But there’s still time to show the planet some love with the BioBall™, the only pickleball designed to not outlive your grandkids.

It biodegrades in 3–5 years (not 100), lasts up to 5x longer than the other balls, and right now, if you buy eight, you get four free with code EARTHDAY.

Get Hyped: MLP Is Mere Days Away

In honor of the start of the Major League Pickleball season this weekend—here’s our full review on that—we put together a list of the 10 best matches from 2024.

From infamously egregious line calls to nail-biting Dreambreakers to one of the longest games in MLP history, there’s no shortage of drama.

Here’s a taste:

7️⃣ — The Frisco Pandas clinch a Challenger Level playoff spot with a dramatic 25-23 mixed-doubles win against the Miami Pickleball Club.

4️⃣ — The crowd-favorite New Jersey 5s outlast the D.C. Pickleball Team 21-18 in a Dreambreaker to win the Mid-Season Tournament Finals (that’s Rachel Rohrabacher vs. Anna Leigh Waters for anyone keeping score at home).

2️⃣ — The Orlando Squeeze narrowly defeat the NY Hustlers at the Premier Level Mid-Season Tournament, punctuated by a mixed-doubles match between Tyson McGuffin/Parris Todd and CJ Klinger/Jackie Kawamoto that went the distance: 40-38 in favor of the Squeeze.

What match scored our 1️⃣-spot? Read the article to find out.

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